Cecil Wright & Partners charter broker Sarah Fraser attended the 160th New York Yacht Club Regatta last weekend on board TEMPUS FUGIT. Read on for her report and to find out how the yacht fared in the racing...
Regarded as one of New England’s most renowned sporting events, the 160th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta at Newport attracted thousands of sailors to Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound last weekend. I was fortunate to be invited back to be part of the team aboard TEMPUS FUGIT, the beautiful, 90’ sloop designed by Humphreys Yacht Design and constructed by Arkin Pruva Yachts in Turkey. With her classic looks and varnished mahogany hull, she turned heads and was reminiscent of a bygone era of J Class yachting and in keeping with the grandeur of Newport.
America’s oldest and longest running regatta continued its illustrious legacy of competition and camaraderie. Our hosts at the New York Yacht Club looked after us beautifully and we were wined and dined at their palatial summer club house, Harbour Court. The New York Yacht Club was founded in 1844 and was the keeper of the America’s Cup from 1851 to 1983, and in 2005 and 2011.
Racing started on Friday with the Around-the-Island Race, and the fleet was made up of an eclectic mix of modern racers, classics, 12 metres and cruising yachts – a beautiful sight! Challenging conditions of fog, rain and light winds affected the entire fleet and the course was shortened having got less than half way around the island. As the weekend progressed, the conditions improved with sunshine and slightly more wind. Erbil Arken, our esteemed owner and my host for the weekend, was very pleased with our results – a first and a second. He enjoyed it so much that he has entered for the Newport Bucket in August, clearly bitten by the bug of yacht racing!
TEMPUS FUGIT is the first of the Tempus range and plans are afoot to build a 170’ – I can’t imagine how beautiful she will be.
